damage. At least 1,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. As many as 40,000 people were left homeless. Overall, there were 40 deaths and approximately $27 million in damage. Following the storm, Hanover, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, and Westmoreland parishes were considered disaster areas. A task force was established by the Prime Minister Michael Manley for reconstruction efforts. About 7,758 families, a total of 36,391 people, required assistance with food supplies for over 13 weeks. The Housing Task Force called for the construction of 582 new houses, 300 of which for those left homeless. The houses constructed for the people rendered homeless were prefabricated by the Ministry of Housing and then erected by the local authorities, under the guidance of the Ministry of Local Government. In response to the disaster, the Government of Jamaica established the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management in July 1980. The depression and its remnants also brought rainfall and high tides to the eastern United States. In South Carolina, precipitation peaked at in Cheraw. Along the coast, waves reached in height, strong enough to tear a boat from its mooring at Surfside Beach. One person was listed as missing and later presumed to have died. See also 1986 Jamaica floods Tropical Depression Fourteen (1987) Tropical Storm Chris (1988) References External links CDMP file 1979 Atlantic hurricane season 1979 in Jamaica Hurricanes in Jamaica 01 1979